


In Over My Head

by emmielupinblack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Near Death Experiences, Remus Lupin Fluff, Remus Lupin x reader - Freeform, Sexual Language, mention of nudity, remus lupin angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 09:06:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17281166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmielupinblack/pseuds/emmielupinblack
Summary: The reader, Remus, and their friends go up to James' family cabin for the winter. But, when they encounter a creature that shouldn't be in the muggle world, they devise a plan to take care of it. But, something goes horribly wrong, and leaves a few of them in danger.





	In Over My Head

James’ parent’s winter cabin was pretty much the coolest place on earth, especially when it snowed. You had gotten there two days before. And, as luck would have it, it started snowing just moments after you got there. James was stoked, instantly throwing a huge snowball at Lily before your group even got through the door.

Everyone quickly claimed their rooms. Of course, James and Lily earned themselves the master suite, since it was James’ family place. Sirius and Peter ended up in a smaller room beside them, and instantly started fighting over who got the top bunk.

And, last but not least, you and Remus were given the guest room, complete with a queen-sized bed, and dresser to share. Since you all planned to be there for just over two weeks, it was good to get settled.

And now that you were all cozy, it was time to start having a little fun.

Remus waved his wand, sparking a fire in the large furnace in the corner of the living room. Sirius curled up under the large blanket on the love seat, offering Peter about a foot of cover. You rolled your eye at your best friend. He was honestly such a prince sometimes.

James and Lily huddled under a blanket on the floor, just a few feet from the furnace. James wrapped his arm around his fiancé, smiling contently.

Remus had given you his over-sized jumper, opting for a smaller blanket that he found in a nearby closet. He pulled you onto his lap and held you close.

“You know these mountains are haunted,” Sirius informed the group with a grin. “The muggles say ghost of lost travelers and hikers wander around here, still trying to find their way home.” Sirius lifted his hood over his head and held his hands in front of him, wiggling his fingers. “Some of them feed off your energy if they spot you, sucking you dry until you’re one of them.”

You rolled your eyes. “Pads, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I mean, are they ghosts or vampires? Or are there just rogue Dementors out here?” Remus chuckled against you rubbing your arm affectionately.

“Where did you hear that, anyway?” Remus asked, pulling you a little closer. He rested his head on your shoulder. Sirius cocked his eyebrow, still grinning.

“It’s legend, Moony. I’m just passing on the tradition.”

James shook his head, snorting out a laugh. “Well, I’ve been coming up here since I was four, and I’ve never seen a ghost up here. Besides, there’s a lot of forest. They have a lot of places to go other than here. You know, if there really is something out there I’m sure it’s a monster. A magical creature loose in the Muggle World.” Lily glanced over at you and rolled her eyes. You smiled as he eyed James, then Sirius.

“You two are so impressionable.” Sirius scoffed, leaning forward.

“Don’t trust me? Fine! Let’s send Peter out there and see if something comes for him!” Peter froze, then turned to his friend. Remus shifted under you, frowning.

“No one’s going out there. It’s bloody freezing! If your ghost or monster friends don’t snag him, the temperature alone will off him.” Remus shook his head at Sirius, who frowned. “Enough ghost stories. How about something more cheerful?” Remus kissed your covered shoulder. “Like what we’re going to do tomorrow for Y/N’s birthday.” You blushed, having forgotten that your birthday was only a couple of hours away.

“Oh yeah! Well, sounds like we won’t be seeing you two love birds tomorrow!” Sirius winked. “Maybe you two could let me join you. I’d love to blow both of your minds.” Sirius joked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Remus sighed. “Nice try, Sirius. But she’s all mine.” He grinned, kissing your cheek. Sirius shrugged, smirking.

“Worth a shot.” Sirius muttered, shooting you another wink.

Lily shook her head. “Well, we’ll figure out something.”

“We could build an igloo doghouse for Sirius!” you exclaimed, chuckling. Everyone around you laughed, especially Sirius. He turned to Peter beside him, shoving his friend’s shoulder hard.

“Yeah. It would be better than listening to Wormtail’s snoring any longer.” Peter stood to his feet, shoving Sirius’ leg with his foot.

“I do not snore!” Peter huffed. “You’re the one who snores like the Hogwart’s Express!” Peter crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his tongue out.

“Bullshit! I’m too pretty to snore!” Sirius stood, still clutching his blanket. You rolled your eyes.

“Rem and I have at least three different walls between ourselves and you two, and trust me, I hear two different snores coming from your room.” You bit your lower lip and grinned. Sirius raised an eyebrow, then huffed a laugh.

“Yeah. The only reason you can hear Peter is because Remus doesn’t make a bloody sound in his sleep. It’s like he’s dead. I remember wondering if he was still there some nights at school.”

Remus hugged you, yawning against your neck. “Speaking of sleep, I’m about to fall asleep right here.” He tapped your hip, urging you off his lap so he could stand. “I’m going to head in. I think I’m still hungover from last night.” He smiled at the group, then turned to you. “Are you okay?” You nodded.

“Yeah. I’ll actually come with you. I’m tuckered out too.” You turned to your four friends and nodded. “I’ll see you lovely creatures in the morning, yeah?”

James laughed, nodding. “Yeah, go get some sleep,” he teased. You rolled your eyes, then turned to your boyfriend, who took your hand in his. It was a good idea to head to bed while you were still warm so you could heat up the frigid bedsheets quickly. Since each room had a furnace, it took a while for the place to heat up.

“G’night,” you mumbled to everyone. You heard each friend mumble back, before continuing to chatter amongst themselves.

~~

Remus shot up, instantly waking you. “Remus?” He snatched his wand and tapped it against the candle on his night stand. He pressed his finger to his lips and nodded at you.

“I heard something just outside the window. It sounds big.” Remus gripped your hand, silently urging you to stay there, then lifted himself to peer out the window. A low, loud crunch echoed from what sounded like only a few meters from the window. Remus squinted as he slowly wiped the condensation from the glass.

“See anything?” you whispered. That moment, Remus’ eyes widened more than you had ever seen before. “Rem?”

Remus quickly ducked away from the window and protectively wrapped his arms around you. “Acromantula.”

You giggled, shoving him playfully. But, he slammed his palm against your mouth. You could tell by the fear in his eyes that he was telling the truth. “Shit, what is it doing here?” you muttered. Then, your brain clicked with a startling realization. “We can’t let it get onto the roof. It sounds large enough to crush the whole cabin.” The crunching got louder, erasing any doubts.

You launched out of the bed and rushed to the door. You needed to let the others know of the danger. Not that six young adults barely into their twenties would be able to take down an Acromantula. You had no idea why there was one out there. Throughout your study of magical creatures, you had never heard of them living outside of the Forbidden Forest. And the real question was, how the heck did it end up in the Muggle World?

Tip-toeing up to Sirius and Peter’s door, you turned the knob as quietly as you could. Once you were in, you raced over to your two friends, who were both snoring.

“Peter, Pads, wake up.” You shook Peter, who immediately launched from his bed. Sirius groaned, slowly opening his eyes. You shushed him. “Sirius, Remus saw an Acromantula outside. We need to get it out of here.” Sirius’ eyes locked on yours, his face firming.

“There’s a what?”

You shushed him again. “Get up. It sounds big. Remus’ eyes nearly leapt from his skull.” Sirius nodded and quickly jumped down from the top bunk. He rushed to your side, staring at the window. It almost sounded like the loud footsteps were following you from one room to another.

Remus popped up in the doorway with Lily and James behind him. Peter turned to him, practically shaking.

“What do we do now?”

You turned to him. “We need to lure it from the cabin, kill it if we can,” you answered, your voice stern. “We can’t let it destroy the cabin, or let it get any closer to other muggles.” Remus glanced up at you with a hint of amazement in his eyes. “We can’t let it get on the roof,” you continued in a whisper. “It can probably already smell us—”

“Can spiders smell?” Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. You rolled your eyes.

“Yes, Padfoot. Spiders can smell. And they can smell their next meal better than anything else. But, we need a plan.” You turned back to Remus. “Sirius, James, and I can lure him away from the building—”

Remus shook his head. “Absolutely not—”

“We can transform. Peter may be too small and slow for him to follow. The three of us are much faster. But, I’m sure he’s like a nice tasty stag, dog, or horse.” You grinned at the two other animagi. They nodded back. “Remus, we’ll be fine.” You smiled at your love reassuringly. “The three of you can hang back until he is far enough. Then, we all hit him at once. That should bring him down.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Sirius backed you, placing a gentle hand between your shoulders. “It’s better than anything I would have come up with.” Remus finally nodded, then let you pass as you made your way. Sirius followed you, stopping beside Remus. “Rem, she’s smart. Brilliant. She’ll be okay.” He patted his friend’s shoulder. “I’ll watch her.”

Remus let out a doubtful sigh, then nodded. “Thank you, Pads.” Then, the six of you headed out to execute your plan.

~~

You followed close behind Sirius, your hooves smashing into the loose snow. He paved the way through the trees, his almost silent paws marking your path. James galloped beside you a few meters away, dodging big trees as the monster trampled behind you. And, fuck, that thing was fast.

You turned your head slightly, peering back at the beast. It was just small enough to slip between the trees and maintain its speed.

When you turned back to your path, you realized that Sirius and James were off to your right. Shit. Why were they all the way out there? But, before you could turn, the ground beneath you shifted, forcing you to slide down the ice.

The moment your body stopped sliding, you were plunged into icy water. The river. You forgot that there was a river out this way. It hadn’t frozen over yet, much to your dismay. You quickly transformed back into your human form and paddled frantically.

“Help!” you tried to scream. But, it came out as a strangled whisper. Sirius and James were probably too far and too preoccupied to notice that you were gone. You knew it would only take minutes for you to die in the nearly frozen water. And, the worst part was, you didn’t even have your wand.

“Remus,” you huffed as you violently shook, struggling to stay afloat. “Someone. Please.”

~~

Remus peered down at the dead creature, his wand at his side. Sirius transformed beside him, grinning.

“Fucker,” Sirius growled at the beast. “Good job, guys.” He smiled at Lily and Peter, then Remus. Remus snapped his gaze back to an approaching James. His eyes roamed before he froze.

“Where’s Y/N?” he asked frantically. Sirius raised an eyebrow, then turned around.

“She was right behind me a few minutes ago.” His eyes locked on the river. “But, now that I think about it. I didn’t see her when Prongs and I turned back.” In that instant, Sirius saw something moving in the river and locked in on it. “Oh, shit.” Remus followed his gaze as his Sirius quickly ripped off his jacket and started sprinting for the water.

“Y/N!”

~~

Sirius stripped down to just his black jeans and dove straight into the freezing water, narrowly dodging a chunk of ice. Remus stood along the side, itching to get into the water. But, he knew that the more people that went into that water, the more people they would need to worry about warming. And he wanted to be there for you.

Sirius paddled towards your bobbing form, huffing as the shock from the icy water chilled his bones. “Y/N!” he huffed as he swam closer. He finally grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you to him. You were freezing. It almost felt like you were colder than the water surrounding you. He had no idea how long you had been in that water, but it was enough to turn you as pale as the ice surrounding you.

Remus stood along the edge, quickly accepting you from Sirius’ grasp. James pulled Sirius out and wrapped Sirius’ coat around his friend. Sirius was shivering, but still fully alert. You, on the other hand, were barely breathing. Remus pulled off his coat and jumper, wrapping you in them. Then, he threw you over his shoulder, staggering, before heading back to the cabin.

James transformed back into his animal form and approached Remus. Remus knew exactly what his friend was implying. It would be faster to get you back. But, he knew James could only carry one of you. And, out of you and Sirius, you needed to get warm much quicker. Sirius would be okay for a little while longer. So, Remus did his best to quickly secure you to Prongs’ back and watched as he galloped away. Remus sprinted back, followed by the others, hoping that it wasn’t too late.

~~

Everyone rushed around you, scattering to get your wet clothes off you and find something warm. Remus fished frantically through your drawer, finding a large sweatshirt and a pair of fleece sweatpants, hoping the material would help preserve what was left of your body heat.

“Moons, she’s like ice,” Sirius observed, gripping your wrist. He had quickly changed into dry clothes, but his teeth were still chattering. Remus frowned as his body buzzed with anxiety. He couldn’t lose you, and he needed to keep tabs on his best friend too.

“C’mon,” he instructed. “Let’s get this on her.” He tossed Sirius your sweatshirt, then quickly covered your frozen skin. He rubbed your legs, hoping to warm you up as James lit the furnace in the small room.

“Lily, what about that muggle blanket on our bed? There are outlets in here. Muggles built this place. We can plug it in and get her warmed up!” James exclaimed, pleased with his idea. The other two men turned to Lily, confused.

She stared at her fiancé for a moment, then nodded and raced for the door. She returned less than a minute later with a large, blue and purple plaid blanket, and plugged the cord into the wall.

“Muggles have some great ideas,” she mumbled. Then, she shoved Sirius aside and draped the blanket over you. “This will warm up soon.

“Turn it up all the way!” James shouted, reached for the controls.

“No!” Lily shouted, grabbing the remote. “I don’t want to burn her. Medium heat will be plenty.” Remus watched in shock as the commotion want on. He didn’t care what happened. All he cared about was getting you warm again and making sure you were okay.

Remus lifted the heated blanket and slipped underneath it, pulling you close. He figured that any heat you were exposed to would help. His arms firmly wrapped around your rigid form.

“I’m sorry, Moons,” Sirius muttered, bowing his head. “I was supposed to watch her. I promised—”

“Don’t,” Remus snapped. “This isn’t your fault. It was an accident.” Remus moved some of your damp strands from your face. “Plus, we were all a little preoccupied.” He smiled at his friend. “She’s alive because of you too. Your quick reflexes have gotten all of us out of some pretty shitty situations.”

Peter nodded behind Sirius, making Remus smile even wider. James made his way over to Remus and patted his shoulder, then took Lily’s hand.

“We’re going to head into the kitchen and get something to eat. Do you need anything?” Remus shook his head. Sirius rose from his chair and nodded at Remus, who nodded back.

“I’m going to make some tea. Do you want some?” Sirius asked, turning towards the door.

“Sure, thanks.” And, with that, everyone left, leaving Remus to wait for you to wake.

~~

You sucked in a deep breath, then opened your eyes, finding a sleeping Remus at your side. Dim sunlight was shining through the window above the bed. It was obviously early morning, or late evening. You didn’t care. All that mattered was that you weren’t in that river anymore, and that you were alive.

You turned your incredibly sore body towards Remus, who woke with your movement. His gorgeous hazel gaze widened as he watched you.

“Y/N,” he whispered with a smile. “Oh, thank Merlin. How do you feel?”

You winced a little as you reached up for his face. “S-Sore. But, I’m warmer than I was last night. That’s for sure.” You wiggled under the incredibly warm blanket over you. “Is this Lily’s?” Remus nodded. “That brilliant woman—”

“James thought of it while Sirius and I were getting you into some dry clothes. I have to thank him. And Sirius.” You snuggled back into the warm blacked and sighed.

“How did I get out of that river?” you asked, your voice hoarse.

Remus pursed his lips. “Sirius dove in the moment he spotted you. He’s the one who pulled you out. I-I don’t know how to thank him. And Prongs for getting you back here so quickly.”

“You don’t need to,” a low voice muttered from the doorway. You both turned to Sirius, who leaned against the door frame. “Glad to see you’re okay.” He turned to Remus and nodded. “We were just trying to save our friend. Trust me, you’ve been there for us too, Rem. Don’t you worry about it.” Remus blushed a little and sighed, pulling you closer.

Remus turned to you, kissing your forehead. It smiled at the slight warmth, a stark contrast from hours earlier. “Are you hungry? Or thirsty? You should eat something,” Remus asked in a light panic. That was his worried voice, and you knew it too well.

“Sure. Anything is fine, Rem,” you answered, hoping to calm him by eating something. His worrying never bothered you, even though it happened a lot. It was rather endearing, although you were always concerned about him when he started to spiral.

Remus pressed one more kiss to your forehead, then rushed from the room in search of food. Sirius approached you and took a seat on the side of your bed, offering you his famous smile.

“I’m glad you’re okay. That river was fucking freezing. I honestly don’t know how you lasted that long in there.” Sirius reached out, taking one of your hands in his. “Remus was beside himself. I could see it in his eyes.”

You nodded. “Thank you, Sirius. For going after me.”

Sirius chuckled. “Anything for my favorite girl.” You giggled, squeezing his hand. “Don’t tell Lily.”

“Are you okay? You were in that water too.” You glanced over your handsome friend, taking in his crazy waves and slightly paler-than-normal complexion. But, Sirius nodded.

“I’m fine. I was cold and nauseated for a while. But, I dried off quickly.” He sighed. “It’s you who was in there for Merlin knows how long.”

“Eleven minutes.” You bit your lower lip, remembering the sheer panic that raced through you. “I counted to eleven minutes before I blacked out. I could hear your voices when everything went fuzzy. You know it takes just—”

“Fifteen minutes to die from hypothermia.” He nodded, frowning. “But, it can take up to an hour. I’m just glad we got to you, and you didn’t go under the water.”

Both of you peered up as Remus returned with a steaming bowl. “Don’t give me any credit. Lily and Peter made this for us earlier and had some left over for when you woke up. It’s really good.” He handed you the bowl and spoon, then slid back under the blanket. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, smiling as he realized you were almost back to normal temperature. “I know soup is an odd breakfast, but it’s warm.”

“Thanks, babe.” You smiled, then took a bite. He was right. It was good. Not that it was a surprise. Peter and Lily could make an old shoe taste gourmet.

Sirius and Remus smiled as you enjoyed the warm meal. You could see the anxiety and fear ease from their bodies. Sirius still sat close, always like a protective older brother since second year. And Remus, the love of your life, leaned his head against your shoulder. You knew that they were not going to let you go outside until the snow stopped falling. You were most likely going to be cabin-bound for the next day or two. But, at least you were alive. And that was the best birthday present you could ask for.


End file.
